


Stuck Pig

by fakkin_drongo



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Aged Characters, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, OCD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trans Junkrat | Jamison Fawkes, Trans Male Character, Trans Roadhog | Mako Rutledge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:43:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fakkin_drongo/pseuds/fakkin_drongo
Summary: Modern, college AU in which military veteran Mako Rutledge decides to go to school.





	1. Daffodil

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this for the longest time and just got the hankering yesterday to start. If anything is glaringly wrong or innacurate or insensitive, please let me know and I will rectify the situation as best I can. Thank you. 
> 
> All characters are canon-aged. I love me some young!Mako and Jamie fics. However I like the idea of leaving the age gap as-is. Also college isn't just for twenty somethings. ;)

Mako Rutledge is your typical middle-aged man. Well, size-wise, he’s pretty abnormal. He is large in every sense of the word, as his staggering height and build are courtesy of his Māori side of the family. But otherwise, unremarkable. He spent time serving in the Royal Australian Navy working as a helicopter mechanic, but he preferred not to dwell on that period of his life. Now he looks forward to his next chapter: education. Back on his family’s small farm in New Zealand, he was always very enthusiastic when learning about the various flora that had been grown and harvested. Since he is a free man with a decent income, he felt that the pull to his horticultural roots (pun absolutely intended) could not be ignored.

Here he is, registered for _college classes_ , tuition paid by some grant for military veterans, and it is the first day of school. He feels this childish giddiness bubble in his chest, eager to learn about something he actually cares about, for once. From inside his beat-up truck, he can see the steady flow of people trickling through the campus to get to their respective classes. He takes a deep, grounding breath and hops out of his truck before he loses his determination. It didn’t occur to him until this moment, but he realizes that his age will probably throw other students off. They mostly look like teenagers and twenty-somethings. His train of thought is interrupted as he halts to stare at the structure he had mindlessly approached. 

Before him stands a stark white building with rows of shiny tinted windows. His eyes wander up to the large billboard front and center above the entrance depicting three young adults with vibrant enthusiasm wearing bright blue graduation cap and gown sets. In exasperation, he runs his hand from his forehead down to his chin, ruffling the silver facial hair. _‘This is going to be like hanging out with toddlers for a few hours a day.’_ He steels himself as he continues walking through the throng of tittering people, doing his best to ignore the staring and whispers and incessant giggling. This was nothing new to him. He’d always been taller and bulkier than anyone else, save for a few cousins on his mom’s side of the family. _‘Time to ogle the big old cunt.’_ His face settles into what he’s heard referred to as “resting bitch face”. Anything to avoid confrontation from the curious people watching him walk past. 

Mako glances down at his class schedule and frowns as he looks between it and the closest rooms, trying to find his first class. _‘Biology, room 137. Ah, there it is.’_ He quickens his pace to get into the class before the better spots get taken, since he prefers to sit up front and as close to the door as possible. _‘Easy escape route.’_ He had spoken with the school’s office for disabled students, and told them that he needed a special padded chair in each of his classes due to injuries sustained during his military service. They happily obliged, willing to do what it took to make him comfortable. As he pivots into the classroom, his eyes are instantly drawn to what was obviously his chair. It was large, a rolling office chair with plush cushioning. _‘Why the fuck is it spinning?’_ He lets out a confused grunt as he notices the blurry spinning chair has someone sitting in it with their legs drawn up to their chest. Lighthearted giggles emanate from the chair, presumably enthralled with their personal merry-go-round. There were no other people in the classroom until Mako walked in, so the chair interloper slows their spinning to see who has joined them. 

The person is a breathless blonde twig of a man with patchy facial hair and amber eyes. Mako’s brows furrow as the guy looks up at him with a big playful grin. 

“Hooly dooley this thing’s a right good time,” the man says a little too loudly, “Wanna hava go?” 

Mako’s expression softens, this guy’s not being a dick or anything, no use in getting cranky over it. He puts his weight on his left leg and drops his book bag to the floor next to the chair. “Nah, m’solid,” he mutters. “That’s my chair, though. Need it for my back.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he just said the one thing that would make his age glaringly obvious and unavoidable in conversation. _‘Fuckin’ A…’_

The man immediately hops up out of the rolling chair and steps aside for Mako to take his seat. “Sorry, bro, had no idea.” He does, however take the seat right next to Mako’s and gestures for him to sit. 

Mako pulls the seat towards the door a bit and sits down gingerly. He is happy with how close it is to the front and the door, so he doesn’t have an issue with this man sitting next to him. However, he does make a point to avoid eye contact. “S’not a problem, not like you knew,” he mumbles, pulling his book bag up to the desk. 

Blondie over there leans towards Mako with his eyebrows raised in interest. “Ey, you a Kiwi? Yer accent’s nearly gone but I hear it!” The man gives Mako a cocksure smirk, and waggles his eyebrows for emphasis. 

Mako sighs a little, he had been trying not to make a big deal about this guy’s blatant Australian accent, as thick as it was. “Yep, from Aotea,” he remarked simply, trying to get this guy off his balls. 

The man’s eyeballs somehow open up wider in amazement. “Yer Māori, bro? Ace! I guess I shoulda noticed, yer moko’s pretty obvious,” the man sighs in wonderment, eyes trailing across Mako’s tattooed skin. 

“ _Christ_ , will y’quit _gawking_ ,” Mako snaps, putting his hands under the desk and looking away from the guy. He was proud of his heritage but having some pakeha stare made him feel uncomfortable. He never opted to receive the facial moko, but his arms were covered from shoulder to fingers. 

With a jolt, the blonde man recoils away and crosses his arms tight over his chest. “Sorry, mate. Didn’t mean any offense,” he spat out nervously. He turned his gaze back to Mako with a repentant expression. “It won’t happen again. My name’s Jamie.” He sticks an awkward hand out towards Mako, hoping to mend the mood. 

Mako looks down at the proffered hand and back into Jamie’s eyes, trying to see what his intentions are. When he doesn’t find anything other than sincerity, he grabs Jamie’s hand and gives a shake. “Mako.”


	2. Sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upped rating for naughty curse words.

After their somewhat sloppy greeting, Jamie and Mako gratefully shut their mouths and watched as students filed into the classroom and began to take their seats. Mako side-eyed Jamie, still a little suspicious as to his motives for being nice. When he was in the navy, everyone had some sort of ulterior motive. No one was amiable for the simple sake of it, and he learned it the hard way. The professor enters and immediately starts on the spiel about how class is going to run for the semester and what is expected of the students. Mako notices that Jamie is frantically doodling on his syllabus, making little fish and bubbles and flowers. Sometimes just the word “fuck” gets scribbled a few times before Jamie goes back to drawing.

By the time class is over, the professor has taken a liking to Mako. She approaches him after class, remarking on how great it is to see grown folks like him back in school, and did he have _kids_ , and what did he _do_ for a living. Despite his instant onset of panic at being singled out, Mako nods politely without answering any of her questions and offers a quick excuse that he has to leave, turning to stalk out of the room. As the attack sets in, the edges of his vision go blurry then black, and his hearing is muffled. He hadn’t been expecting the two instances of attention today. The goal was to get through the day without having to talk to anyone. His heart rate was stubbornly elevated as he made his way outside, sucking in the fresh air and frantically looking around for a place to sit to wait out the panic attack.

There was a large manmade pond behind the main building that had a small flock of waterfowl hunting or floating lazily around the glassy surface of the water. Mako made a beeline for a bench next to the edge of the pond and sat, clutching his book bag to his chest. ‘ _I’m fine. I’m okay. I smell salt in the air. I feel the cool metal of the bench. I hear the quacking of the ducks. I am at school. I am safe.’_ His grounding mantra echoed in his mind as he purposefully took slow, deep breaths. This whole panic thing has been an issue for many years, so he was relatively practiced at bringing himself out of mild episodes such as this one. His eyes were shut tight, as he focused on his other senses and what they were picking up from the world around him.

‘ _I’m fine. I’m okay.’_ A faint musky scent begins to permeate his space. ‘ _I smell… frankincense?’_ The realization hits him that he never spotted any olibanum trees, and even if he did, the scent is too concentrated and… now there’s warmth beside him? His eyes fly open, darting to the left and there sits the man from his bio class, Jamie.

Mako remains stock-still, staring at Jamie. ‘ _Didn’t hear him. How didn’t I hear him?’_ Jamie had been watching the larger man with innocent curiosity. “Didn’ya hear me, mate? I waited for ya after class and ya took off like a bat outta hell. I even called out to ya but,” Jamie blabbered, noting the confusion on Mako’s face. “Er, I was tryna see if ya wanna go throw back a few coldies and reminisce about the motherland. Aussie an’ Kiwi cunts like us gotta stick togetha.” Jamie gave a small smile and picked at his cuticles, hoping he wasn’t being too forward.

Blinking away the shock of the proposition, Mako slowly starts to return back to reality. Before he really takes the time to think about it, he nods to answer in the affirmative. Jamie beams up at him, his smattering of freckles highlighted by a delicate blush. As Jamie stands up and begs Mako’s pardon to run off to his next class, a moment of clarity has Mako stopping him with a hand that reached out but never connected with Jamie’s arm. Seeing this halted action, Jamie looks questioningly at Mako.

“Are you wearing perfume?” Mako hears himself ask. Still dazing and fixating on the heady aroma that brought him out of his meditation.

The blonde man’s mouth quirks up into a dainty smile and he lightly grasps Mako’s outstretched hand. “Frankincense and clary sage,” is his simple answer. “Text me.” He offers an exaggerated cheeky grin and turns to head back into the building.

Mako watches him go until the blonde hair disappears behind the automatic sliding doors. He slowly turns back so he can stare at the pond and mull over what had just happened. The hand that Jamie touched held a little slip of paper with a phone number on it. ‘ _Little player!’_ He smirks and whips his phone out and quickly shoots a text to Jamie, just so he has Mako’s number.

Looking back up at the pond, he finally realizes what just happened. What was implied. ‘ _Did he just ask me on a date?’_ Mako’s mind is reeling, he never bothered coming out of the closet a second time, since the first time was rough enough. His family didn’t openly shun him when he came out as transgender, but they weren’t supportive either. Since then, he had told himself that no one needed to know any of his personal information or preferences unless they were trying to bonk. Only then would it be acceptable to divulge. But this guy Jamie apparently had a highly accurate heat-seeking gaydar, since most people ignored or dismissed older fat folks as incapable of sexual desire.

‘ _Well, if he’s gay that’d be sweet as.’_ Mako has by now come into a calmer state. His heart rate is normal, he doesn’t feel overheated. Maybe agreeing to go out with this guy isn’t a bad idea. He hadn’t been out on a date with a man since before he started taking testosterone. And that was about 12 years back… ‘ _Fuck._ ’ Not to say he hasn’t had his share of one-nighters, though. But this guy seemed nice enough, deigning to speak to him and seek him out when he had no obligation to. Not to mention being all smooth and slipping his number to Mako. That was pretty cute. Ballsy.

As soon as his mood settled back to neutrality, he feels his phone go off. He pulls it out to check… Ah, Jamie responded.

Jamie Biology (0932): hey bud wana meet @ Pitchers @ 12? good drinks n food, grab lunhc

Mako squints a little to read the text from his little old cell phone. _‘Didn’t realize he’d want to drink so soon.’_ He frowns a little as his large fingers slide around the screen, forming his response.

Me (0934): ya sounds good. c u there.

Now all he had to do was wait and see what this guy was after.


	3. Allspice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako goes to meet this scraggly kid from school at some bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not having updated in so long! I came out as trans to my family and am now dealing with the repercussions of that, so! If anyone is reading this, thank you and I hope you're doing well.
> 
> And thank you for the kudos and comments, you guys are sweet. <3

Finding this bar that Jamie recommended was relatively easy, as it was a few blocks down from the school in a strip mall. Nestled between an Indian supermarket and sewing supply shop stands Pitchers, the self-proclaimed best sports bar in the city. _‘Didn’t tack him for a sports fan.’_ Mako enters the establishment and it is unsurprisingly quiet. After all, it is only around noon.

He spots a young couple sitting at the bar being overtly affectionate and sweet with one another as they share jalapeño poppers. One is a short yet broad man with a stylish haircut and a piercing through the bridge of his nose. The other man has tanned skin with a scruffy beard, and is wearing a flannel button up shirt. Other than them, he’s the only other patron. 

He finds a booth close to the bar in case Jamie wants to keep an eye on the hockey game that’s on and pulls out his phone to pass the time. A waiter comes to offer menus and take his order for drinks. Mako asks for water with lime and lets the waiter know there will be someone joining him. The waiter smiles and says he’ll get his water and wait to take food orders until his companion arrives. 

A quick thank-you has the waiter bustling away, and Mako turns his attention back to his phone. He’s playing a game of solitaire when he overhears a commotion from the bar. He shoots a sneaky glance because this seems over the top for just some random bar. 

“---will you marry me?” The man with an undercut is knelt down on his knee, holding open a ridiculous tiny cowboy hat-shaped ring box. He’s trying not to giggle, but there must be some inside joke going on here. 

The other man suddenly covers his face with both hands, valiantly fighting through laughter to speak. “HONEY—OH SWEET PEA, THIS—ARE YOU OUTTA YER MIND?!” Some tears start to trickle down his face from mirth, while clutching his partner’s shoulder. “You saw this damn thing floatin’ around on Tumblr, didn’cha?” 

Pushing the ring box at the giggling southerner, the other man continues to smile, enjoying seeing his boyfriend so giddy. “We both knew this was going to happen,” he says, sliding back onto his barstool. He sets the still open box on the bar next to the man in flannel. “You know I cannot resist the opportunity to tease you.” 

The bigger man is starting to get himself under control, and he wipes at the happy tears on his cheeks. “Sweetheart, you know as well as I do that I can really pull off the cowboy look,” he says breathlessly, lacing his fingers with his boyfriend’s. “Hanzo Shimada, you are the sun in my sky.” The affection in his eyes is jarring. 

Hanzo smiles earnestly at the man before him. “And you are the moon in my sky, Jesse.” He leans forward to kiss Jesse, at which point Mako pointedly focuses on his phone. He is a hopeless romantic and seeing couples share moments like this makes him wish he had a partner. _All in good time._

Somewhere between getting his water and trying not to sigh wistfully at the cute couple at the bar, Mako notices the rumble of a motorcycle drawing close. The rumbling suddenly sputters and dies out and not a moment later, Jamie strides into the bar with sweat on his brow and a smile on his face. 

“Mako! You came!” Jamie looks surprised to see Mako, and plops down across from him. “I was worried I’d scared ya off!” 

Mako purses his lips and cocks an eyebrow up. “You think I’d be frightened by a little string bean like you?” 

This has Jamie wiggling his brows and smirking at Mako again. “You’d be surprised what I can do.” He’s leaning forward on his elbows. 

Feeling a bit nervous by this blatant flirting, Mako clears his throat and picks up a menu, doing his best to peruse it and look calm. “So I was surprised to see you wanted to meet at a sports bar,” he says, glancing back up at Jamie. 

He finds that Jamie hasn’t stopped looking at him. He seems to have taken the hint to cool it with the flirting. “Yeah, I really enjoy this place. Since moving here, I’ve taken a liking to watchin’ ice hockey,” he chirps, pointing up at the nearest TV. “There’s fightin’, and the refs just let it happen!” 

Mako nods, folding the menu and placing it back where he found it. “I never really noticed,” he muses, looking up at the game on the screen. “Seems like it’d be fun to watch.” 

“It’s even more fun to play!” Jamie giggles, tapping his hands on the tabletop. Mako’s eyes are drawn to flashes of red. He glances down to see the skin around Jamie’s fingernails torn to shreds, some spots of blood color his lightly tanned skin. 

“Jamie,” Mako says gently, “Your hands are hurt.” 

“Eh?” Flexing his fingers out as wide as they go, Jamie’s eyes dart down to his observe the tattered skin. His fingers curl into fists a few times. “Nothin’ to worry about, man. Just get so anxious I pick at my skin,” he says, crossing his arms to hide his hands. “Sorry you hafta see that.” 

Mako’s face draws in concern for Jamie. Being a veteran, you get to know the cruel reality of mental illnesses. Mako himself struggles with a few, so he can imagine how bad Jamie’s anxiety could be. Other sailors he knew would come out suffering from every type of disorder imaginable. Service is rough and active duty folks suffering from mental health issues often get pushed to the side. Edged out of the military by a command that could care less for their “broken assets”. 

“Never apologize for that,” Mako’s voice is solemn and sincere. “The way my illnesses manifest ain’t pretty either. It’s nothin’ to be ashamed of.” 

Stunned by the openness of his companion, Jamie’s eyes search Mako’s face thoughtfully. “Thanks, Mako.” He smiles and folds his hands on the table, visibly calmer. “I’ve been self-conscious of my dirty habit for years, so I appreciate you bein’ nice about it.” 

Mako scoffs and waves a hand dismissively. “Really, it ain’t dirty, and it ain’t a problem,” he mumbles as they are joined by the waiter. Jamie and Mako quickly place their orders for food and the waiter zips off again. 

“So whatcha aimin’ for, degree-wise?” Jamie says breathlessly after slugging his drink. He wipes at his mouth, drawing Mako’s attention to his sparse chin hairs. 

Scratching at his own thick beard, Mako braces himself to open up to this man. “Some sorta horticultural degree. I’ve got experience on farms and whatnot, and I enjoy gardening. Love tending to animals, too.” He shrugs one shoulder, “S’the only thing that I could think to do after my previous career path.” 

Jamie nods, his eyes fixed on Mako with rapt attention. He leans forward. “What didja do before?” 

“Helo mechanic in the Navy,” he grunts, fidgeting with the napkin dispenser on the table. “Got kicked out.” He’s trying his best to not sound like he’s complaining, but the situation _had_ been fucked up. He looks up to gauge Jamie’s reaction to the information, and he looks sympathetic. “I was threatened by a superior to get out or he would out me to the command. I wasn’t ready to be out, so…” Mako gestures vaguely and leans back in the booth. 

Jamie grimaces, his eyebrows scrunching together. “Like… they found out yer gay?” he probes. 

“Well, there is _that._ But nah, I’m transgender and this petty officer found out.” Mako folds his hands on the table and he stares at his intertwined fingers with regret. “She had been a friend of mine ‘til she caught me out in town presenting as male. Back then, the country still had trouble dealing with the LGBT community in the civilian sector alone. I knew of people thrown into the brig for being queer.” He realizes he’s glaring at his hands, and just rambling about his past. Looking up at Jamie, he sees his eyes are shiny with unshed tears. 

Jamie reaches across to gently drape his hands over Mako’s clenched fists. “I’m so sorry that happened to ya, Mako. I wish I coulda been there to stand up for ya.” 

With a little smile, Mako lets the tension out of his shoulders. “I ‘ppreciate it, Jamie,” he breathes, trying not to stare at the soft hands enveloping his own. His heart’s fluttering like mad, trying to decipher what exactly is keeping Jamie’s hands on his for such a long time. “Why,” he begins quietly, “…why have you asked me here?” 

The warm hands withdraw back to Jamie’s lap. “I just thought ya seemed like a sweet bloke and wanted to get to know ya.” He’s got a nervous smile on his lips and his eyes are wide. The look of mild panic. “I dunno why but I felt like I had to seek ya out?” Jamie chokes out a little wisp of a laugh. 

Mako’s frozen. Not often does he meet someone who seems to actually desire his company. While he would love to throw himself into that all-consuming fire of getting one’s hopes up, he mentally took a step back to focus on the man in front of him. Mako beams at Jamie, “Well I reckon that’s because I cut such a striking figure.” 

Feeling the anxiety wash away, Jamie smirks and throws a balled-up napkin at Mako. “Ya cheeky bastard! Confidence is my one weakness,” he giggles, looking for more ammunition to lob across the table. 

The waiter comes up looking a little confused at the spectacle, but places their food in front of them, and walks back towards the bar.


End file.
